


We Dance To Fast Music

by entity9silvergen



Series: My Fics For AroWriMo 2021 [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Aromantic Writing Month, Dancing, Dancing Dragon - Freeform, Gen, Music, Other, Platonic Relationships, Prompt: Freedom and Music, Tsungi Horn, Weddings, arowrimo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29343762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entity9silvergen/pseuds/entity9silvergen
Summary: Zuko didn’t like to dance. Neither did Mai. But Ty Lee did and they’d do it for her. Fortunately for them, Ty Lee cared about how they felt and wanted to show them just how wonderful music could be. All Zuko and Mai knew were slow dances, the things of ballrooms and romance. Ty Lee only knew the dances of friendship, freedom, and fun.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Ambiguous Relationships - Relationship, Mai & The Gaang & Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai & Ty Lee & Zuko, Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Zuko & Mai & Ty Lee & Suki & Sokka
Series: My Fics For AroWriMo 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140302
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: AroWriMo 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [the beginning of a new and brighter birth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14921627) by [aloneintherain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aloneintherain/pseuds/aloneintherain). 



> This was written for Aromantic Writing Month 2021 Week 2. The prompt is Freedom & Music. It is not explicitly mentioned if characters are aro in this story. The main focus is on friendships and platonic relationships being valued equally. You can decide which however you want to interpret each character’s romantic and sexual orientations. 
> 
> It also does not explicitly state if any characters are in relationships (except Aang and Katara) so you can read into it however you want. I played around with Mai/ Zuko, Mai/ Zuko/ Ty Lee, Suki/ Sokka, Mai/ Zuko/ Ty Lee/ Suki/ Sokka, or them all just being platonic friends but none of it stuck. There is emphasis that these relationships are not strictly romantic but you can interpret any of them as qprs or romantic relationships.
> 
> Also I’d like to say I know nothing about music or dance so sorry if those bits of the story don’t make sense or if their dances are really ugly.
> 
> The last two chapters of this fic are inspired by “the beginning of a new and brighter birth” by aloneintherain. You do not have to read that fic to understand that one but the final chapter of this fic is very similar to the last scene of that fic. It was unintentional but I would just like to give the idea credit where credit it due.

It all began at Katara and Aang’s wedding. 

It was a nice wedding, it really was, and Zuko was happy for his friends but did they really have to invite so many people? Aang and Katara had a lot of friends all over the world but half these people Zuko had never even met. He was pretty sure they were all political officials. He supposed he couldn’t really complain, the Avatar’s marriage was a pretty big event for all four nations, but it was stifling to have so many people in one space, however open.

He supposed the one advantage was that no one could see if he was dancing or not.

The ceremony was lovely and Zuko meant that genuinely. Aang and Katara had danced afterward in a beautiful mix of Water Tribe and Air Nomad styles and now the floor was open to the guests. There was a live band of… Zuko wanted to say they were Air Acolytes but they may have been one of King Kuei’s bands from Ba Sing Se. Or maybe it was both. It was probably both considering they were playing a plethora of tunes from different nations and regions. Everyone seemed pretty pleased by the music selection and had taken to the dance floor with their partners.

Zuko was hiding in the corner with Mai and Ty Lee.

Zuko knew as the Fire Lord he would be expected to dance at some point. Not by Aang and Katara, they’d never do that to him, but there were so many strangers here and there was probably some important person here who would start whispers that the Fire Lord had insulted the Avatar by not dancing at his wedding and they needed to start war preparations again. Zuko didn’t know anything about weddings but he was pretty sure that was a thing. Probably. Maybe. And for peace’s sake, he’d dance. Probably. Maybe.

It was just that he didn’t want to? It wasn’t even entirely because he didn’t know how to. He didn’t really have any problems with dancing. He’d dabbled in some of the cultural restoration efforts that involved dancing directly. It just didn’t seem appealing in the slightest. Earth Kingdom officials and royalty were swaying their partners, Water Tribesmen were spinning each other around, and Air Acolytes were leaning against each other, all in tune to the gentle melody. It was nice but he and Mai just weren’t like that.

“Come on,” Ty Lee complained for the umpteenth time, tugging on their hands. “You have to come dance!”

“We don’t have to do anything,” Mai responded, leaning even further into Zuko as if to prove a point. Zuko didn’t complain.

Ty Lee frowned, her grip on both of them slackening a bit. “What’s wrong with dancing? I mean, I know the Fire Nation never really allowed dancing much but we used to do it all the time at home. And in the circus! It’s fun.”

“This looks like the farthest thing from fun,” Zuko commented and gestured vaguely at the mass of men and women before them. “It’s all so… slow. And romantic.”

“And boring,” Mai added helpfully.

“And boring,” Zuko agreed.

Ty Lee pouted for a moment before a look of excitement flashed across her face. “Wait here. I’ve got an idea.”

She was gone before Zuko could protest. Zuko reached out with his newly freed hand and called after her but she’d already vanished into the crowd of people. He frowned a bit and slumped against the pillar he and Mai were hiding by. He didn’t really want to dance but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to be around Ty Lee. She was a constant presence in his life these days and it felt odd to not have her around, even with Mai there.

“Should we go after her?” Mai asked, plucking an hors d'oeuvres off a passing server’s tray to pop into her mouth. She immediately made a face. “Ew. Vegetables. They’re not even cooked.”

“Air Nomads are vegetarian,” Zuko reminded her softly, though he probably didn’t need to. His brow furrowed a bit as he glanced back at the crowd, worried. Should they look for Ty Lee? She’d told them to wait here so maybe she would be back. How long was too long? She wasn’t in danger or anything but-

Zuko didn’t have the chance to finish his thought. Ty Lee barreled past them with the speed of a cat mongoose and the power of an elephant gorilla. She snatched up both of their hands, catching them both off guard, and dragged them both across the venue toward the dance floor.

Zuko stumbled a bit but found his footing quickly and made a noise of surprise. “Ty Lee!”

“Was this your master plan?” Mai said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, when they came to a stop and Ty Lee freed them of her grip. “To grab us when we weren’t paying attention?”

“No, silly,” Ty Lee giggled. “This was my plan.”

Nothing happened for a moment, prompting Mai and Zuko to look around in confusion. They were just kind of standing in the middle of the crowd, people dancing around them. Slowly, the song came to an end and Zuko opened his mouth to ask Ty Lee what was happening but was distracted by the most strange noise.

It was a tsungi horn, he knew that much after having played for years, but he’d never heard it make a noise like the one the band was drawing out of it. It was… hard. Not soft like most music was. And the horn’s toots were coming out sharp and abruptly, accompanied by the melody of some kind of flute. Combined with drums, some stringed devices, and some other instruments Zuko didn’t recognize, they made the strangest tune Zuko had ever heard.

“What is this?” Zuko asked, looking at Ty Lee. “And what are you doing with you hands?”

“I’m dancing!” Ty Lee said with a beaming smile. She put her hands up in the air and twirled herself around as if to prove a point. “I thought you might like this music more.”

“I don’t know if this is music,” Zuko responded with uncertainty as Ty Lee began wiggling her shoulders, “and I’m not sure if what you’re doing is dancing.”

“Isn’t music usually slower?” Mai said as she watched the people around them become inactive. Some were moving like Ty Lee, seemingly happy with the change, but most of them seemed as confused as Zuko. “Don’t you usually, I don’t know, hold your partner and shuffle around?”

“No, silly,” Ty Lee replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You don’t have to dance with a partner! That’s just the fancy stuff. Most people just dance with their friends.”

“With their friends?”

“For fun!”

“For… fun?”

“I’ll show you,” Ty Lee said cheerfully and took both their hands. She pulled on them, more gently this time, and kept moving her body. Zuko and Mai exchanged a glance, unsure what to do, but shrugged and decided to indulge their friend. Ty Lee was moving fluidly but it didn’t have any structure to it like most dances Zuko knew of. She was just… rolling in tune with the music. It was a few minutes that Zuko realized the rhythm had traveled down her arms to their joined hands and he was mimicking her movements. Ty Lee looked thrilled. “That’s the spirit!”

“This is… not horrible,” Mai said as she allowed her free arm to join in the other half of her body. Without Ty Lee’s influence, her movements were a bit more awkward but it didn’t look totally ridiculous. Ty Lee looked equally excited by her efforts and began shaking her arms around with a bit more energy than she had before.

“I thought you’d like this more,” Ty Lee said, her voice a bit quieter. Zuko’s heart softened a bit when he noticed the nervousness fading off her face. He usually brushed off her exuberance but she really wanted them to have a good time. Affection for his friend welled up inside of him. “I don’t really like slow music myself. I don’t want to slow dance with some random guy. I’d much rather dance with you two.”

“What’s different about this music?” Zuko asked, trying to warm up his body a bit so he looked less like a flailing pig chicken. “How come everyone’s dancing differently now?”

“Fast music is more freeing,” Ty Lee said without a tone of doubt and lifted up both her arms so Zuko and Mai could spin her around. She leaned back dramatically, trusting them not to let her fall. “There aren’t any steps and you don’t have to worry about stepping on anyone’s feet and you don’t have to worry about who you’re with. You can just let the music take over and let your body move.”

Zuko smiled a bit as Ty Lee bounced back up from her dip. He’d never seen three people dance like this with their hands joined but Ty Lee was somehow rocking it despite his and Mai’s hesitation. He’d gladly accept some discomfort for her.

“Looks fun!” a familiar voice said, breaking the awkward jig the three of them shared, and Sokka was suddenly on Zuko’s back. “Can we join?”

“Get off,” Zuko complained good naturedly and shrugged Sokka off him, the other man careful not to accidentally choke the Fire Lord while unhooking his arms from their place around his neck and shoulders. Sokka grinned at him bashfully and Zuko noticed Suki not far behind him. “You two know how to dance?”

“Sure!” Sokka replied. “The Fire Lord’s advisor and guard go to a lot of fancy events, don’t we? We know all kinds of dances!”

“I don’t think what you do counts as dancing,” Suki commented, looking amused. Sokka stuck her tongue out at her and began dancing with a look in his eye telling the world he was ready to prove her wrong.

Sokka’s dance was… different from Ty Lee’s. He moved his whole body, shoulders to hips, in a rippling motion like a wave was going through him. It looked odd. Zuko wondered if it was a Water Tribe thing but judging by the Water Tribe spectators’ stares, it was not.

“You look stupid,” Toph said, pushing past a group of young Earth Kingdom governors who were dancing nearby. By Agni, they were dancing so much better than Sokka. “My feet could see it all the way across the room.”

“We’re outside,” Sokka responded but didn’t let her snipes kill his spirit. In fact, it seemed to only encourage him and his arms joined in. “Come on, guys! Don’t leave me hanging.”

Ty Lee took up his offer in a heartbeat, letting go of Mai and Zuko’s hands, and began dancing in a similar fashion, though she looked far better doing it. Zuko shared a look with Mai and Suki before joining. Mai and Zuko were a bit slow and awkward but Suki didn’t say anything and matched their energy without hesitation.

The music picked up a bit and even Toph joined in, though her movements looked a bit too much like earthbending forms for Zuko to feel safe calling it dancing. The others certainly noticed because Sokka and Ty Lee exchanged a glance and began mimicking water and firebending moves. They were far from accurate, much flashier and they lacked power, but Zuko had to admit the fluidity and spunk they performed them with made them look like real dance moves.

“I now understand why Katara used to be so obsessed with doing this stuff,” Sokka said as he wiggled his arms like a current before swooshing them to one side. Zuko was pretty sure that wasn’t a real waterbending move but Sokka looked too happy for him to care.

Ty Lee gave a few punches before shifting her feet into the footing of a firebender and arching her hands up and spinning around. “I wish I was a firebender. It would be so fun to dance while firebending! Ooh, I wish I had fire like Zuko! Imagine how pretty it would be to dance with rainbow fire swirling around you!”

Zuko opened his mouth to explain that wasn’t how it works but was interrupted by Toph.

“Aang and Katara are coming over,” Toph announced after a bit as the dancers around them parted a bit for the bride and groom.

“Damn right we are,” Aang said good naturedly. He and Katara had changed out of their wedding attire and into something simpler and loose-fitting. “You guys are dancing without us?”

“Maybe!” Ty Lee responded cheekily. “I was just saying how cool it would be to dance with rainbow fire like Zuko’s!”

“Oh that would be cool!” Aang said, eyes lighting up. “Zuko, you should do it!”

“First of all, it’s not rainbow fire. It’s just multicolored.”

“Rainbow,” Sokka said through a cough.

“-And second, I don’t know how to dance, let alone with firebending.”

“What do you mean you don’t know how to dance? We learned the Dancing Dragon together!” Aang exploded without even a pause. He gasped loudly. “We should do the Dancing Dragon together! Katara, can I do the Dancing Dragon with Zuko?”

“You don’t need my permission,” she said with a smile and a step back. “Knock yourself out.”

“Not literally,” Suki piped up, feeling the need to clarify which was probably a good idea in front of someone as knuckleheaded as Aang.

Zuko swallowed nervously and glanced at his friends. Mai shot him a smirk while Ty Lee gushed out her excitement. Sokka just gave him a thumbs up and the next thing Zuko knew, he was standing beside Aang.

They started on one foot, arms spread apart and palms facing the sky. Zuko could feel the sun’s warm rays spark something deep inside him. He took a deep breath and took a step away from Aang.

Both of them shifted into a lunge, pivoting quickly in a circle. With their breathes, ribbons of colorful fire came to life, twisting around their arms with each step. Zuko flet them licking his bare arms as his sleeves rode up with the steps but the fire didn’t burn.

Then came a sharp punch and a wide sweep of the arms. The fire followed the motion and rolled off him like a wave. The heat was oddly comforting on his tight shoulders.

A final thrust of the hand and the two met at the end of the circle, arching sideways to let their fists touch. Colorful fire burst from the contact, briefly engulfing them both before dying down with a few well controlled breaths from either side.

Zuko hadn’t even noticed the spectators until the clapping began.

He jerked upright in a motion unbecoming of a Fire Lord and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. When had all these people gathered around? Had he really gotten that caught up in the dance? It was so easy to lose himself in his firebending.

People from all nations were applauding, even Fire Nation natives. They were a bit slower but the twist of distaste was merely an echo on their faces. They seemed proud. It was oddly validating, though Zuko didn’t want it to be. Maybe this was a good thing.

Aang was suddenly hugging him. “That was awesome! We need to do that more.”

Zuko couldn’t help but smile. “We do. We really do.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m bored.”

“I know.”

“Let’s do something.”

“I’m working.”

“So?”

It was about a month after the wedding and life in the Fire Nation had returned to normal at the palace. Zuko was far less busy than he was when the war initially ended but he and all his friends were still pretty busy. Over the past few years, more and more of his companions had taken jobs with him in Caldera City. Suki and Ty Lee were here because the Kyoshi Warriors now served as guards to the throne, Mai was here because Zuko and Ty Lee were here but her sharp mind for politics quickly landed her a position as advisor, and Sokka had taken the role of Southern Water Tribe Ambassador before deciding he liked it here and took a more permanent position at Zuko’s side.

Zuko liked having his friends around but also that meant he didn’t get nearly as much work done. They were fantastic but they were equally distracting. 

At the moment, Mai was leaning against the doorframe of Zuko’s office. To be honest, she kind of reminded Zuko of an outdoor cat-owl, drifting in and out as she pleased. It was a nice change from Ty Lee’s happy polar bear dog personality, Sokka’s badger falcon-like drive when he wanted attention, or Suki’s… speaking of which, where were they? He’d just spent nearly two hours working uninterrupted. Normally one of them would’ve come to bother him by now.

Sighing, Zuko rose from his seat. “Fine. Did you have anything in mind?”

Expectedly, Mai just shrugged.

“Let’s go find the others,” Zuko decided and Mai didn’t protest.

Dramatically, Zuko offered her his arm like a lord would to a court lady. Mai just snorted and flicked him in the side of the head. Zuko laughed and the two began floating down the palace’s halls at a leisurely pace. Both were familiar with it from their childhoods but it had changed a lot since that brief time they returned during the war. With Azula and Ozai gone and new friends in their place, it felt much more like home. Still, sometimes it was nice to walk down these red clad halls and remember the good times, however rare they were.

They found their way to the courtyard. It wasn’t the same one with the fountain Mai and Zuko had fallen into as children nor was it the one that Zuko had spent countless hours feeding turtle ducks. No, this one was marked by memories of sparring. Not with Azula though, with Sokka and his sword, Suki and her fans, and Ty Lee with her acrobatics. And now, apparently, with dancing.

“What are you doing?” Zuko asked as he and Mai came to a halt at the entrance. “Is that one of Aang’s staffs?”

“Yup!” Ty Lee said and swung the staff around to demonstrate, forcing Sokka and Suki to duck to avoid being boxed in the head. “Ooh! Mai! We were just going to come looking for you. We need your knives.”

Mai already had them out. “What for?”

“So you know how it was super fun dancing at Aang and Katara’s wedding?” Sokka asked, toying with his boomerang absently. Zuko suddenly noticed Suki had her fans out too. What were they doing with weapons? And why did they need so many? “We were just talking about it and Ty Lee mentioned she got her hands on some scrolls awhile back with some dances so we decided to look through them and give ‘em a shot.”

“And what do you need me for?”

“I found this dance the Avatar used to do with his teachers,” Ty Lee explained, grabbing Zuko’s interest. “It’s this dance that combines all the elements. It looks really fun so we’re trying it!”

“Wait, then wouldn’t you need me for that?” Zuko asked, confused. “Since, y’know, I’m the Avatar’s firebending teacher?”

Ty Lee giggled. “No, silly. We’ve only got firebenders in the palace. You can’t do a dance with four elements if you just have fire.”

“Which is why we decided to try it with weapons instead,” Suki said, flipping her fans around. She shot Zuko a teasing look. “See, nonbenders can do everything just as well as benders can.”

Zuko matched her look, not missing a beat. “You know I use swords, right?”

“Oh hush.” Ty Lee shuffled him off to the side and rolled out the scroll for Mai to look at. “See, look. Everyone kind of does the same dance but everyone represents their own nation. They bend their own element in their own style but then when the music changes, they switch to another style.”

“So that’s why you have Aang’s staff? We’re going to represent each element with weapons instead?”

“Yup! The only problem is that we don’t have any music.”

“We’ve got that covered,” Sokka said and shot Zuko a look the firebender couldn’t quite catch the meaning of. Zuko stared back and tipped his head slightly, confused, before he noticed Suki pushing something across the courtyard. 

“Where did you get that?” he spluttered in surprise. “How did you get that? And who told you about that?!”

“Your uncle,” Suki purred in a teasing tone. She leaned on the instrument casually, careful not to put too much weight on it, and smiled with the same look on her features that Sokka had. Zuko suddenly understood it’s meaning. “Last time we visited him, he said you’re good on the tsungi horn. When we got back, I just had to find one.” 

“No, no, no. No.”

“Yes.”

“No…”

“Yes…”

“Come on, Zuko.” Ty Lee looked up at Zuko, hands clasped behind her back, with the most endearing look on her face she could muster. “Please? It’ll be fun!”

Zuko felt himself caving. By Agni, he was so weak. “Fine…”

“Yay!” Ty Lee sprang up and clapped happily while Sokka and Suki whooped and clapped their hands in victory. Zuko found himself smiling. He could stomach some embarrassment to make them happy for a little while. 

He tried not to sigh as he settled down on the stool next to the tsungi horn and prepared to play. It had been a long time but the feeling was familiar and the tune came to him easily. Plus, he was a much better firebender than he had back when he’d played for his crew on the ship so he could hold his breaths much longer and steadier. It wasn’t perfect but it passed as music and that was enough for Zuko.

He played a tune his mother had taught him. She’d been a beautiful singer, he remembered. Noren had told her she loved musicals back when the two performed together. Zuko hadn’t particularly liked her musical instruction as a child but now he looked back and wished he’d been a bit more keen to spend those moments with his mother. Music was one of the few connections she had to her time in theatre and those hours spent with Zuko were her way of showing him her old life without revealing the truth.

He should visit her soon. He wouldn’t bring a tsungi horn but maybe he could teach Kiyi some of his mother’s favorite songs, if she didn’t know them already.

Her favorites were always romantics. Ballroom dances for young lovers, songs from dramas telling the tale of two lovers, melodies to play in the background of celebrations- He understood why but none of them felt appropriate for the moment. He wished he knew more songs. Those songs were all he knew so his choices were limited. Still, he played.

Ty Lee, Sokka, Mai, and Suki began dancing. They were slow, getting a feel for the dance. Occasionally, their eyes would flicker back to the scroll. They couldn’t read it from that distance but Zuko could see the heistance on their faces. None of them were dancers, except maybe Ty Lee, but they were warriors so with weapons in hand, they didn’t hesitate for long.

Zuko had long suspected Ty Lee had some Air Nomad heritage with her grey eyes and flighty movements. Right now, holding Aang’s glider, he had no doubt. She was light on her feet, toes barely skimming the ground as she leapt. She didn’t seem terribly familiar with the glider and she treated it more like a bo staff than anything else but she quickly found the opening mechanism and soon the glider was paralleling her airy motions.

Sokka was normally a truly horrible dancer but he always danced with boldness. That didn’t waver with a boomerang in hand but right now, he looked a lot more confident and peaceful than Zuko had ever seen on the dance floor. His movements were fluid, his boomerang spinning out of his hand with an easy flick of his wrist. He turned and caught it with his other hand like he was born to do it.

Suki always fought with sharp, aggressive movements and this dance highlighted that part of her training. Her golden fans gleamed in the sunlight and her heavy steps kicked up dust. Where Sokka’s arms were loose, hers were tense as she jutted her fan out in a way that would slice an enemy’s throat clean open. Zuko thought she never looked more beautiful. 

Mai had even less time to prepare than the others but she looked just as stunning. Her knives flipped through her fingers with lightning speed as she shifted into new stances, punching her arms out as if driving her knives into an imaginary foe. Her feet moved with the steadiness and skill of a firebender, never losing her balance, as she weaved around the others in perfect harmony.

It was kind of hard to watch them all while he was so focused on his song. They danced in a circle, mostly not bumping into each other. Zuko guessed the Avatar would normally be in the middle but they looked perfect with just the four of them representing the Avatar cycle. Their brows were furrowed in concentration but they looked like they were having fun and Zuko suddenly realized how inappropriate this song was for something like this.

What was it that Ty Lee had said at Katara and Aang’s wedding? By Agni, that felt like a long time ago. Fast music was freeing. Slow music was romantic but fast music was supposed to be fun. Something you could dance to with your friends.

The Fire Nation had never been a country of creatives, not now and not in Zuko’s youth. They were always traditional and taught their young to stick to those traditions flawlessly. But now, in this moment watching his friends float together in such a wondrous way, Zuko felt the overwhelming urge to deviate from tradition and make the song his own.

The spark of creativity pushed him to take shorter breaths. The tune came out louder and the notes were faster. His feet moved, adding the soft sound of his boots hitting the earth in rhythm with the song. It drifted away from a slow romance to something livelier and more spirited.

His friends seemed confused by the change in music but didn’t let it stop them. They shifted their stances, somewhat surprising their musician. Ty Lee had said earlier that the benders in the dance would change their style. Zuko wasn’t really sure what she meant by that but he was glad he hadn’t messed up their dance by changing his manner of playing.

Ty Lee became less bouncy and more flowy. She stopped skipping around and kept her feet on the ground. She snapped the glider open and began twisting it overhead, letting it ride the air like a boat on the ocean’s waves. Her muscles seem more relaxed and she let the music guide her.

Sokka’s movements became more rooted. He stopped throwing his boomerang, instead wielding it more like an axe. He stomped, like Suki had before though he wasn’t as aggressive as her. He was passionate, like a Water Tribe warrior, rather than fierce like a Kyoshi Warrior.

Suki’s dancing gained more of an edge. Swipes and stomps were replaced by kicks and punches. Equally powerful blows, just different. She closed her fans, wielding them more like blades before snapping them open to arch widely over her head, and lashed out with sweeping kicks.

It was strange seeing Mai move like Ty Lee but it suited her. She shifted onto one foot, balancing carefully, and she waved her knives. They still looked just as deadly as she jutted them out but the motions leading up to them were a lot more relaxed and less conformed. 

Smiles had appeared on their faces, making that flitter of nervousness in Zuko’s chest melt away. He hadn’t even noticed it was there until it was gone. Knowing that he was doing something right, Zuko put more of himself into the tune.

Ty Lee’s feet fit the ground, hard and flat. She let her arms spread far apart, muscles rippling in a way Zuko rarely saw. The glider, for the first time, looked like a true weapon. It closed and began moving erratically with each step its wielder took, like it was ready to box someone’s nose in. 

Sokka seemed to swell up like a flame as he became more explosive. He wielded his boomerang like an extension of himself, flipping it quickly between his hands. His feet slid across the surface of the ground, leaving slick prints in the sandy earth, while he swung his arms with the power and grace of a komodo flamingo.

Suki became more nimble and she waved her fans the way a court lady might to cool herself rather than like a sharp edged weapon. For the first time in the whole dance, she leapt and let her feet leave the floor. It was almost like she was skipping on chunks of earth, which she had done before with how much Toph liked flinging things around with her earthbending.  
Mai began flipping her knives again but this time it flowed through the air alongside her movements rather than sliced. She toed the ground seamlessly, steady in her motions, and seemed to drift alongside the others like a piece of wood in the sea.

If they were benders, this probably would’ve been harder for them. They were dancing in the styles of their opposite elements: Ty Lee like an Earth Kingdom native, Sokka like a Fire Nation man, Suki like an Air Nomad, and Mai like a Water Tribe warrior. Inexperienced and a bit unsure of themselves, they were still a bit awkward but no more than they were in the previous element of the cycle. It was still balanced and even in a way that benders could never hope to achieve. Something could be learned from this but Zuko didn’t dwell on it. It was time to change the music again.

Zuko tried to focus on the harmony he saw before him. His beloved friends, the four people he loved more than anyone or anything in this world, were representing the four elements as one. Truly, it was beautiful and brought warm feelings to his chest. He didn’t have the skill to wander from his roots and lessons too much but he took a few liberties and tried playing in a more foreign style, mixing in notes he knew traditionally came from other nations’ songs.

Ty Lee took to a Fire Nation style easily, swinging the glider like glades and crouching into elegant yet deadly poses. It looked kind of odd to see someone normally so sweet poised in such a manner but it suited her well. Her grip on the staff changed and she let the wings flare at the peak of each jab.

Sokka’s leaps weren’t nearly as graceful as the others with his heavier, stockier build. He let his boomerang fly far with each jump and landed neatly each time, never failing to catch his beloved weapon. 

Suki waved her fans, open this time, in a way mimicking the current. She spread her arms wide, fan in each hand, and walked backwards, synced with the rhythm. She never tripped, trusting the flow of the others to guide her.

The heels of Mai’s shoes left deep imprints in the ground with each step she took. The aggression of this new gait suited her. She was always cunning and she really seemed to be owning it right now. She fisted her knives, thrusting her hands down in unison with her feet, and showed off the power in her body that she rarely had the chance to display.

Zuko slowed down a bit, the tsungi horn’s noise becoming softer and quieter. It wasn’t slow or sluggish but it was still steady and strong. His friends changed their style for the final time. Ty Lee once again became light and airy, Sokka became fluid and flowy, Suki became bold and aggressive, and Mai became sharp and ruthless. They’d returned to normal but they’d proven normal wasn’t all they are.

The song ended and Zuko lifted his mouth from the instrument to take a gasp of air, letting glorious oxygen fill his lungs. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to go for that long, even with the lung capacity of a firebender, but it was worth it to see the dance come to an end and his friends break their formation to cheer and hug each other.

“How’d we do?” Sokka asked, turning to Zuko. He padded over to him and sat on the ground in front of him. Zuko suddenly noticed how out of breath he was and that his sweat had plastered his clothes to his skin. Who knew dancing could be so tiresome? Not Zuko. “I know I slipped up a few times there but I feel really good about it!”

“You guys did well,” Zuko said, matching the other man’s smile, and he meant it. Yeah, none of them were dancers. Their dancing wasn’t elegant and it wasn’t smooth and they looked lost sometimes but in Zuko’s eyes, they were perfect. “You adapted that dance so well. It’s hard imagining what the original was supposed to look like.”

“I think the scroll said it was supposed to represent balance,” Ty Lee said, looking around for the discarded scroll. Suki found it first and picked it up for her. Ty Lee blinked gratefully and took it from her. “I bet it looks really pretty with all the fire and the water and the earth and the air and everything all mixed together!”

“It looked, um, pretty with the weapons,” Zuko told her, stumbling over his words a bit. He wasn’t used to complimenting people but sitting here with so much affection in his heart, he couldn’t bear to hold back. They deserved to know. “Maybe even better. I know the nations are usually remembered for their bending but I think it’s important to remember nonbenders are just as important. It really shows you guys understand the different countries if you can change the way you use your weapons.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Sokka said boastfully. He shuffled on the ground a bit so he was leaning against Zuko’s knees. Zuko let his hands rest in Sokka’s hair. “Man, wait until Aang sees this! Who needs the Avatar when you’ve got us!”

Suki and Ty Lee laughed while Mai smirked. She looked a bit thoughtful. “Maybe it would be beneficial for the four nations to see a dance like this. With bending. Maybe we should revisit the Fire Nation Dance Restoration Movement.”

“Really?” Zuko exclaimed, jostling Sokka slightly as his back straightened. “You of all people are interested in dance?”

Mai shrugged. “You think it’s a bad idea?”

“No. I’m just surprised. I thought you didn’t like dancing.”

“I don’t,” Mai responded and sat down beside Sokka. “I just think… The dance is really beautiful. And I think it would be a lot more beautiful of the people who were actually meant to do it used it for its intended purpose.”

“And if those people weren’t a bunch of amateurs,” Suki added, getting down to her level so she could knock shoulders with her. She reached out with one arm and knocked Zuko’s stool out from under him, making him fall with a yelp. “You better get on that, Fire Lord!”

Ty Lee caught him before he could hit the ground. “Don’t bully him into making him do stuff for him!”

“Yeah. Don’t bully me!”

“Being nice is a much better way to get him to do what you want.”

“Hey!” Zuko complained but didn’t protest when Ty Lee plopped him down next to Sokka and threw herself onto their laps.

“It’s true,” Sokka said, shifting so his knees didn’t dig into Ty Lee’s back. She’d done this before, they were all used to it and even welcomed it at this point. Maybe she was the most catlike of the group. Mai never did anything like this. “You let all four of us get away with everything.”

“Better not let your enemies know your weakness!” Suki cracked, playing with Ty Lee’s hair absently.

“Yeah, well, if any of my enemies find out my weakness, they have to get through you guys before using it on me.”

“Touché.” 

“Do you think the other nations were like this once?” Ty Lee asked, reaching up to poke Mai in the cheek. She didn’t look amused but the quirk of her lips betrayed her. “Like us, I mean. Right now.”

“Maybe,” Mai responded. “I hope so. This is nice.”

“It is,” Zuko agreed. He looked around at his friends, all curled up together, and knew he’d savor this moment forever. “It really is.”


	3. Chapter 3

When Zuko had played the tsungi horn and watched Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka, and Suki dance, he’d thought they’d looked beautiful.

How could he not? He loved them and he’d always think they were beautiful regardless of how practiced their dancing was or how much they slipped up. But what had stood out to him was how they’d mastered the Avatar’s Cycle dance. Even as nonbenders, they’d captured it’s true essence. The dance was about balance and taking another nation’s style and making it your own and they’d executed it brilliantly.

But as much as Zuko respected their spontaneity and adaptations, it really didn’t compare to the real deal.

They had to still change a few things of course. Aang’s airbending teacher wasn’t present and Aang didn’t really want the dance to focus on the role of the Avatar which meant it was just the four of them dancing in a ring like their nonbending friends had.

Ty Lee and Sokka had looked so excited when they proposed the festival to Zuko and Aang. That was months ago and finally it was all coming together. Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka, and Suki had put so much time into organizing this event and Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Toph had spent so much time perfecting this dance. Now it was time for the nations to see the fruits of their labor.

The festival was held in one of the former Fire Nation colonies on the Earth Kingdom mainland. It was a neutral ground that welcomed visitors from all three countries. Zuko had been nervous people weren’t going to want to travel all this way but right now, looking out at the crowd gathered around the stage, he wondered how he ever could’ve believed such a thing.

Aang stepped out of the shadows first, addressing the audience in his usual, endearing way. He joked a bit, got a few laughs, before sobering up and properly addressing them. “As you guys know, we’ve been trying really hard to restore some of the dances the Fire Nation had in my time but today I’d like to share another dance. One not claimed by any nation. It’s called the Avatar’s Cycle and I’ll need my teachers for that.”

That was their cue to move. Toph didn’t hesitate and stepped up to join Aang in a heartbeat. Zuko and Katara lingered a moment longer, exchanging a glance of mutual reassurance, and followed her to their places.

The music began and they began to move.

Zuko started with firebending forms. They were adapted a bit to seem more rhythmic and visually appealing but they still worked. Flames sprung to life around him, just as he sensed the others’ elements join them, as he took a big step and let himself be swept into the cycle.

A long time ago, rage was the fuel for his fire. Now it was passion. Love, respect, and understanding. That was what the dragons had taught him and what he’d carried with him all these years. Every day he felt the sun rise, anytime he felt a candle light flicker, anytime he saw the spark of life in someone he cared about, every breath he took- These things were his universal truths.

These truths made his fire bloom with beautiful colors as he lashed out in fierce punches and kicks. That couldn’t be helped, firebenders were quick to fight by nature. The breath was what was important though. With steady exhales, Zuko’s flames spiraled and twisted around him, occasionally mingling with Toph’s earth and Aang’s air on either side of him, as he danced. The burning was intense but not hostile. It found tranquility alongside the other elements. Zuko hoped the spectators would understand how meaningful the colors of his flames and its unity with the rest of the cycle was.

The Fire Nation was so angry and that anger was paralleled in their flames. Zuko was once like them, maybe angrier, but now it just seemed so distant. Joy filled his punches and the sweeps of his leg, not rage. The music guided his steps, not hate. His fire was still as strong as any of theirs, maybe stronger.

The music shifted and so did the four benders. Fire became air, air became water, water became earth, earth became fire- Though not literally. Zuko was still bending fire but he was firebending like an airbender.

He tried to think of freedom. He focused on the music and tried to let his mind go blank. It was hard for someone with roots so deep in the Fire Nation to forget tradition and conformity and let go but the music helped. It was fast and upbeat, easy to move to.

Zuko’s fire became a little less controlled as his feet began to touch the ground less. The fire moved alongside him rather than because of him and he let it come a little bit closer to his body than he usually did. He knew he wasn’t going to burn himself so he let the fire do as it pleased.

He took deeper breaths. He could feel his inner flame grow and shrink with each one. The tendrils of fire matched his breaths, swelling and deflating like it was alive as well. It probably was. Fire was just an extension of himself, after all. A part of him not limited to a physical form.

The next element in the cycle didn’t come easily to any of the benders, except Aang but that wasn’t surprising. Fire was supposed to be sharp, heated, and brilliant. Water was rounded, mysterious, and relaxed. But both elements had a hunger and wildness to them that couldn’t be satiated and those similarities were easy to draw on. 

Zuko’s movements became more fluid as he mimicked waterbending forms. His fire wobbled a bit but not nearly as much as Katara’s water or Toph’s earth. Uncle’s lessons in learning from the other elements had done Zuko well. He tried to recall the steps in redirecting lightning, taking control of the chi flowing directly through his body. His fire began moving in the same pattern. Instead of surrounding his hands, it trickled like a stream downward before he pulled it back to trickle down again.

Water was one of Zuko’s favorite elements. Not in his youth, of course, but he’d grown to appreciate it over the years. It was steady like earth but also adaptable like air yet it still had some of fire’s spirit. Waterbenders could heal but they could also turn water into jagged, frozen weapons. The diversity and variety was astounding. It’s potential to help or hurt and the delicate balance of its nature made it beautiful in Zuko’s eyes.

He tried to think of change. How he’d changed. Once young and innocent, then young and angry, now aging and filled with adoration for his friends and for his people. The fire followed his hands, flowing like his chi inside of him, and rippled like the surface of the sea.

This was the hardest part of the dance and all four dancers had to slow a bit. The cycle continued but the buzz of concentration surrounded them as they used forms their element was not built for. Then came the next element and ease washed over them once again.

Zuko had to admit he understood why Toph loved throwing rocks around so much. It was fun to stomp and roar and throw weight around. Zuko’s fire seemed to think so too. It seemed to flake off him, embers sparking each time his foot hit the ground and spraying from his hands with each thrust.

Earth was supportive and grounding. Zuko tried to think of the people who had inspired those kinds of feelings for him. His uncle, the Gaang, his friends, his advisors, his mother... Just the thought of them made him feel full. His fire filled out a bit more and, still spitting embers, followed his heavy steps without fault.

They reformed to their initial styles of bending as the song began winding down. The fire sprang back to life a bit more as Zuko’s movements became familiar and seemed to burn a bit brighter. Everyone else seemed happy to regain full control of their elements and they stepped through the last motions of the dance.

The four benders struck a final pose, each breathing hard, and the crowd exploded into applause.

Zuko, Katara, and Toph stepped back to let Aang address the nations. Beforehand, Aang had asked if Zuko wanted to say anything as the Fire Lord but Zuko was happy to leave the speeches to the Avatar.

“This dance once symbolized the unity between the four nations and the friendship we share,” Aang explained once the clapping died down. “I think that’s important more now than ever which is why my friends and I wanted to share this dance with you. The war is over but there are still barriers between us. In my time, music and dance went beyond borders and I hope today’s festival can teach all of you what I’ve always known deep in my heart.”

The crowd cheered again and Aang turned to his friends with a look like a weight had been taken off his back. Katara embraced him. “You guys did great!”

“Can’t compare to the masters’ though,” Sokka called from where he was sitting in the back with Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee. He slung his arms over his shoulders and shot Aang a cheeky grin. “Nonbender gaang rules!”

Aang laughed. “Do you guys want to get out there and show some nonbenders your moves?”

He immediately blanched. “No way.”

Ty Lee giggled at his reaction. “How about you four? You guys going to get out there and teach some people how to dance?”

“Nuh-uh. I’m sitting down and taking a nap,” Aang declared. “Scoot over.”

Suki and Sokka laughed as Aang tried to push them down on the bench. Katara sighed and shook her head while Toph joined in, pushing Ty Lee and Mai on the other side. Zuko couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe we should find a better place to rest than the stage? I think we planned on some of the bands playing from up here.”

“Ugh, fine,” Toph said, giving up much to Mai’s appreciation. “Lead the way, Fire Lord.”

“Gladly,” Zuko responded with a chuckle and dragged the others off the background of stage, despite their whines and groans. It’d been a good day for the nations and hopefully it’d get even better but for now, he just wanted to spend the afternoon relaxing with his friends.


End file.
